December 1, 2011

“Vishakhapatnam”, formerly known as “Vizag”; the name in itself is sufficient to flood the memory with the pictures of ships, lighthouses and ports. Apart from being the largest port by volumes in India, Vizag has also been blessed with picturesque beaches and numerous tourist attractions. No wonder it is one of the hot favourite tourist destinations in southern part of India.

"Kailasgiri" park is one such spot. Facing the sea, sitting atop a cliff, as the name suggests, the mere look of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati's giant statues provides a rich nutrition for a devout's soul.

One can hire a taxi, take a walk or enjoy the rope way ride to reach the top of the hill. Taking the rope way, however, has its own charms as you get to see the bird's view of the spectacularly clean beaches and capture them. With a nominal charge of Rs 66 per head, rope way is indeed worth all its money.

Behold! There are more surprises waiting for you once you set foot on the top. A railway track!!! Surprised...

Believe me, Mother Nature is in its full grandeur here. It will take you long if you go around the hill on your foot. Rather take a trip down your childhood. Toy Train.... Anytime. Take a ticket, place yourself comfortably and just let your fingers keep the camera shutter busy.

Well, if you are not too keen on a train ride and happen to be a bit on the adventurous side, try defying the gravity. IF YOU CAN DARE TO...

==> "DO NOT TRY TO IMITATE" <==

But, trust me, walking around is a better option to capture the panoramic beaches and stunning natural splendour....

I was already falling in love with the beaches and I am sure you will too..

Sometimes we are too demanding, the more we get the more we want. With some daylight still on our side, we decided to drive to "Bheemlipatnam", 35 km. from Vizag. Good times it seems were just starting.

India is blessed with numerous places worth watching. Most of these could be hidden in small and little-known towns and villages, which even the most acclaimed of the tourist circles might have no clue about. These are the places which provide for quick refreshment to voyagers' souls while treading his/ her way to and from places of larger tourist interest. Whenever you come across such spots, you tend to realize that the next one is more beautiful than the previous one. Good thing that every nook and corner of this country is filled with such interesting places, however for these graph never seems to take a plunge. Thanks to Dipak Sir, we got a chance to check out this lovely spot called "Bheemlipatnam".

Bheemlipatnam is a small harbour town. For the first time in my life, I was travelling on roads with coconut trees lined up on their sides. Unlike the day-to-day anxiety of the big cities, we saw people sitting together, discussing their daily routines and laughing together. Life looks so simple and yet so fulfilling here...

The caricature at the entrance says a lot about the place.

Being a Dutch colony, that European influence is quite evident in the architecture of Bheemlipatnam. It was established in the 16th century when the Dutch settlers thought of making it into a beautiful trading centre.

Hollanders Green, as the name suggests, was a Dutch settlement and one can see quite a many cemeteries and buildings. There are a few English graves as well, that stand out amid the ornated Dutch ones. Hollanders' certainly makes for the oldest Christian grave in the state of Andhra Pradesh and those of the early Dutchmen. (Take a look at the pyramid-shaped graves in the picture on left.)

You can clearly see the inscription dating back to 1768...

As the locales told one, this town of Bheemlipatnam was once ruled by the Pandava Kings. Were we really standing in the kingdom of the "Pandavas"? Well, for a change, let us stop straining our historical knowledge base and appreciate the pristine beauty of this port town. For, it is worth every bit of it.

Standing on the beaches, the might of Bay of Bengal seemed to be both tempting and challenging us to test its waters. Alas! Civilization has some flaws too. Being in company of colleagues and without a set clothes to fall back on, I was every bit hesitant to take the dip in the vastness.

Struggling with my thoughts, wisdom suddenly struck. "I do not know if I will ever get a chance to visit this amazing place again". So be it! The very next moment I was enjoying to the fullest -- the sea and its waves. As I always say and believe "Good travelers never think themselves to be foreigners".

The long stretches of the beaches along the port are some of the most beautiful in the region. Calm and serene Bheemli Beach (aka Bheemunipatnam Beach) makes an ideal stopover to relax and recharge your spirits. As the place is hardly known to the outside world, its beaches are yet to be exploited by the bitter truth of modernization. Relatively clean, hence, a long walk along the beach is a soothing experience.

Bhimunipatnam, also famous for serving as the backdrop for many regional movies, is picturesque as far as the eye can travel.Somebody rightly told me the southern parts of India are a different experience altogether. Enviable cleanliness and planned roads in Vizag are a sheer delight. Maybe other cities in the country could learn a point or two from here. There was still a lot to be seen in and around Vizag. We, however, were tight on schedule. As I bid adieu, yearning for more, I could not help but make a small note in my mind that maybe very soon I would plan another trip and get a chance to savour all that which has been left behind. Other attractions in Vizag:

The region is also known for its pickles and sweets. I was quite surprised to see so much variety. Without even knowing the ingredients of these pickles, I ended up picking up a lot. And, I wasn't disappointed. They were indeed "YUMMY". Next time, more shopping and more time for sight seeing....

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